HENDERSON, N.C. (June 16, 2012) – With only three bass that weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces on the final day of competition Christopher Carmell of Moyock, N.C., was able to hold on and win the EverStart Series Northern Division on Kerr Lake. His three-day total of 13 bass weighed 36 pounds, 1 ounce and earned him $26,749 for his victory.

Pulling all his fish from one area, the Kerr Lake veteran Carmell found the sweetest hole of all with his Lowrance Structure Scan. It was at the mouth of Nutbush Creek had a couple of stumps with a big log running through the middle and a little grass around it that produced the winning pattern for him. Describing the 19-foot hole as an ambush point he said the fishing was fast and furious for the first two days of competition.

“I had my limit by 8 a.m. on the first two days of the tournament,” said Carmell. “Today I struggled, I think I may have caught too many from the hole yesterday . . . but maybe not, I was still able to win. On Thursday I caught a decent sack and then moved off the area because I didn’t want to burn all my fish. On the second day I caught another early limit, left the area and then went back about 1 o’clock and that’s when I caught my 5 ½-pounder that pretty much solidified the tournament for me. It really was one of spots you dream about.”

Catching all his fish on Reaction Innovations 10 inch worms in green pumpkin and a 3/8 inch triple color jig, Carmell, who lost the 2005 BFL regional by ounces, said that the win felt good. He was just waiting for an opportunity to redeem himself.

Mike Hoskings of Spotsylvania, Va., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Thursday – a 6-pound, 4-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $202.

David Martinez of Brooklyn Heights, Ohio, won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 12 bass weighing 23 pound, 4 ounces. For his efforts Martinez won a Ranger 177TR with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor.

MURRAY, Ky. (June 10, 2012) – On Saturday, Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes pro Dave Lefebre of Erie, Pa., weighed 23 pounds, 15 ounces of bass — the heaviest limit of fish at the FLW Tour on Kentucky Lake presented by OFF!. Lefebre didn’t duplicate that effort Sunday, but it turns out he didn’t need to. At the end of the day, Lefebre’s five bass worth 19 pounds, 5 ounces gave him a total four-day weight of 77 pounds, 3 ounces as well as a championship trophy and $125,000.

“This feels good,” said Lefebre, who hasn’t won an FLW Tour event since 2004. “I can’t believe it because the Potomac (River) and (Lake) Champlain are the two I look at and say, ‘Those are the ones I have a chance to win.’ And after the Potomac, where I let one get away, this one is a shocker to me.”

Lefebre said he started the final day of competition the way he had previous days — about a mile from the takeoff ramp fishing a swimbait. In past days, he fished that area until he had a limit at about 8:30 a.m., but on Sunday the bite wasn’t as good and he left the spot with three fish at 7:30 and made a 12-mile run to look for more fish. He fished a Tabu 1-ounce brown jig with purple tinsel tipped with a green-pumpkin Yamamoto trailer on ledges and inlets into the main river channel.

Lefebre then gambled and returned to his starting spot, an area he said he had never fished after he left it in the morning. The move proved fruitless and he relocated. Lefebre then returned to his starting area again at 1 p.m.

“The wind had calmed down just a little bit and I was able to make the exact cast I wanted to make,” Lefebre said. “It was substantially different conditions, and I think it was the first cast that I caught the 5 ½ (pounder).

“I tried a million different things today,” Lefebre added.

Lefebre said he caught 15 to 20 keepers during the course of the day, and his three biggest fish he weighed Sunday came on a swimbait and the other two were caught on a jig.

Snickers pro Chris Baumgardner of Gastonia, N.C., posted a total weight of 70 pounds, 11 ounces to claim second place. Baumgardner won $33,287 for his efforts.

Casey Martin of New Market, Ala., won the co-angler division and $25,000 Saturday with a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 51 pounds, 6 ounces followed by Terrance Smith of Fishers, Ind., in second place with 15 bass weighing 42-14 worth $7,134.

In FLW Tour Major tournaments, pros and co-anglers are competing for valuable points that could help them qualify for the 2012 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart, the world championship of bass fishing. The top 35 pro and co-anglers in the point standings

FLIPPIN, ARK. (June 1, 2012) Justin Hewlett, of Statesboro, Ga., and Geoff Hill, of Kennesaw, Ga., collegiate anglers from Georgia Southern University, recently secured the second and final slot in the Ranger Cup University Team of the Year finals. As the highest-finishing Ranger Cup University-qualified team with a total weight of 28.24 pounds during the two-day BoatUS Collegiate Bass Fishing Championship on Alabama's Lake Pickwick, the duo will receive an expense-paid trip to Texas' famed Choke Canyon Reservoir later this year where they will compete for over $2,000 in cash and prizes.

Hewlett and Hill will face off against Carson Rejzer and Wyatt Blevins, collegiate anglers from Virginia Tech University to determine the Ranger Cup University Team of the Year. Rejzer and Blevins qualified with their fifth-place finish in the FLW College Fishing National Championship on South Carolina's Lake Murray earlier this spring.

“I think it's great what Ranger is doing. College fishing is a growing sport and this program is available to all of the anglers, whether they own a Ranger or not. Plus, it teaches us college guys that we need to stay on top of the little things – there were 14 teams ahead of us that probably wish they would've done it,” said Hill, a mechanical engineering major heading into his junior year at Georgia Southern. “Justin and I are blessed to benefit from the Ranger Cup University program. We didn't have the big bites we needed to win the (Pickwick) tournament, but we won a $500 cash prize and get to fish Choke Canyon.”

Both teams will receive an expense-paid, grand-prize package, which includes travel, lodging and meals, as well as the opportunity to compete from fully rigged Ranger boats. The made-for-TV fishing event will be televised nationally on NBC Sports network's Americana Outdoors, representing a unique opportunity for the collegiate anglers – complete with over $2,000 in cash and prizes awarded to the winner.

Modeled after the most lucrative contingency rewards in the industry, Ranger Cup, Ranger Cup University is the first program of its kind exclusively for collegiate anglers and is open to those fishing in either FLW- or BoatUS-affiliated competitions. Signup is free, regardless of which brand of boat they own. To remain qualified in the program, anglers need only adhere to clothing and logo requirements. And as part of the Ranger Cup University program, participants will be able to receive specially discounted tournament gear through Angler Skins and Gemini Custom Apparel, with no artwork or set-up fees. Through these vendors, Ranger Cup University anglers can purchase fully customized tournament jerseys for as low as $48.

For more information on Ranger Cup University, to register and read all about the program guidelines, go online to RangerBoats.com.

About Ranger Boats
Headquartered in Flippin, Ark., Ranger Boats is the nation's largest manufacturer of premium fiberglass fishing boats, which include series of bass, multi-species, fish 'n play and saltwater boats. Founded in 1968 by Forrest L. Wood, Ranger Boats continues its commitment to building the highest-quality, strongest-performing boats on the water. For more information, go to RangerBoats.com.

MANY, La. (June 2, 2012) – Glen Freeman of Converse, La., weighed a five bass limit on Saturday weighing 24 pounds, 12 ounces to win the EverStart Series Texas Division on Toledo Bend presented by Mercury. His three-day total of 15 bass weighed 68 pounds, 15 ounces and earned him $28,898 plus a Ranger Z518 with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor for his victory.

With the wind playing a major factor during the tournament, Freeman was able to make daily adjustments that helped lead him to victory. According to Freeman the fish never moved, he simply had to position and hold the boat in the correct locations.

Freeman went on to say that he was targeting deep structure that was a natural pathway for the bass to travel. Every day the fish seemed to pull up; he was fishing 20 to 25 feet the first day, 15 feet the second and by Saturday the bass were only 8 to 9 feet deep. He attributed his electronics for helping him locate the bass.

Thanking FLW for putting on a great tournament, Freeman said that being made to feel like he was at home showed on the water. He was able to relax and be comfortable with his fishing.

Freeman said that his go to baits all week were YUM soft plastics with a BOOYAH jig.

Jeane Jr., caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Pro Division Thursday – a 13-pound, 4-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $226.

Scott Bailey of Longview, Texas, won the Co-angler Division with a three-day total of 14 bass weighing 46 pound, 1 ounce. For his efforts Bailey won a Ranger 177TR with an Evinrude or Mercury outboard motor.

Callaghan caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the Co-angler Division Friday – a 8-pound, 4-ounce bass – that earned him the day’s EverStart Series Big Bass award of $150.